and eye and respiratory irritation immediately following their return to school on
Monday morning. Some children developed rashes, sore throats, and other symp-
toms. The school had been sprayed over the weekend for roach control with the pes-
ticides Empire 20 (chlorpyrifos), Vectrin (resmethrin), and diazinon. A boric acid
paste was also applied. The applications were part of routine pest control used
throughout the school district.
The school was closed later in the day. It was ventilated and reopened for part of
the next day, but then closed again due to continuing strong odors. A professional
cleaning firm was hired to conduct a massive cleanup, including new paint and floor
caulking in some areas. However, air and surface wipe samples taken after the clean-
ing showed the chlorpyrifos was still present in many locations, so another cleaning
was done. Even after the second cleaning, small amounts of pesticide remained, but a
decision was made to reopen the school. Ultimately, the school was closed for almost
three weeks as crews worked to clean up the pesticide residues. The pest control firm
that made the application was cited for numerous violations, and their business
license was revoked. A state and county health department report on the incident
concluded that the symptoms seen among students, teachers, and staff were consistent
with exposure to the pesticides. A newspaper account quoted a county health official
as saying that inhalation and dermal exposure to the ‘‘inert’’ petroleum distillates in
one of the products were the likely cause of most of the symptoms. Several lawsuits
resulted from this incident. Parents noted that the roaches returned to the school
even before the students did.^55January 21, 1992, Saddle Brook, New Jersey.Scores of children complained of
sore throats, headaches, difficult breathing, nausea, vomiting, and rashes and were sent
home in the days after End-Sect Insecticide (resmethrin) was applied by school mainte-
nance workers in a crawl space underneath a first-grade classroom during school hours.
Another chemical, End-Sect Vaporizer (pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide), had been
applied by a night custodian just a week earlier around the sink in the same classroom.
Both applications had been made in an effort to control termites. School employees who
were not licensed pesticide applicators applied the chemicals, which were no longer
legally registered for use. The chemicals were both stored in thirty-gallon drums, one in a
crawl space under the school, and one in a garage at another school. Of note, the area
under the first-grade classroom had been treated for termites with fifty-five gallons of
another insecticide by a commercial pest control firm just nine months earlier. Another
part of the school was also treated with Orthene by a second pest control firm just the
day after the January 21 application. Another application of 120 gallons of a termiticide
was also made under the kindergarten room on February 1.
A parent filed a complaint with the state on Friday, January 24, and a state inspec-
tor arrived at the school to do an inspection and testing on Monday, January 27. Af-
ter samples were collected, school officials elected to close the school pending results.
A swab sample collected near the classroom sink showed residues of pyrethrins, which
had been applied there eleven days earlier. Six samples from the classroom and crawl140 | Pesticides